The Dragonbite Epidemic
A/N: This work of fiction takes place in an alternate dimension that is similar to today. Technology such as computers, stretchers, and other hospital advances. WARNING: This fanfiction WILL contain death. Prologue The hospital was deathly silent. Doctors and nurses moved quietly through the hallways. No one dared say a word. The only sounds were of wheels moving across the floors, receptionists receiving calls, the intermittent announcement over the intercom, the tapping of pencils, and the clicking of talons against the floor. The hospital wasn't known for dying patients. In fact, it was quite common that they were in the Health section of the newspaper, the article often about some great problem they overcame. But there was no great headline for the hospital. In fact, there really was no headline. The hospital had been subjecting all the focus it had at a disease that had broken out. It had not been named, but a few patients had come to the hospital. To be precise, six. All with the same, or a few added on, symptoms. The patients were in treatment, but it didn't seem to be getting any better. The hospital that most all of Pyrrhia had entrusted with their lives—the hospital they trusted they could go to in the case of an emergency—had one of their patients die. He was a SeaWing by the name of Algae. He was a young fellow, only ten years old. He was the youngest of the six dragons to have caught the disease. The oldest is eighty years old. All doctors had their focus on the disease, when they weren't working with other patients. In the lab, experiments were being conducted to create a new medicine to clash against the disease. In a memorial room, the air was more somber than any other place. Plaques of in honor of dragons who fought for their lives, but died, were hung in that very room. The newest plaque was hung up, and the largest font read, Algae. Doctors who were working on the case didn't want to release it to the public too quickly—they didn't want to spread panic. At the same time, the public should know the disease was arising in case any dragon had the symptoms. Doctors murmured the one another in a dismissive way, when a nurse burst into the room. "Another dragon died!" she wailed, her voice the only thing breaking the silence. A doctor arose, and stared at her. "What dragon was this?" "I-it was the older dragon. The dragon who got the disease." Chapter 1 Talons clicked against the patterned grey and white floor. A NightWing walked down the hallway, a clip board tucked under her wing, and a stethoscope hanging around her neck. Shardpiecer was in a sour mood. Mainly because of one reason—she was not a morning dragon at all. Many a dragon would suggest that she drank a cup of coffee in the morning. The NightWing loathed coffee. Not a morning dragon, and no coffee to give her that good jolt. The occasional doctor or nurse would walk down the hallway, but the two would never exchange words. The hospital had once been a place where two or more passing dragons would warmly greet each other, but that was no more. It was because of a disease. The Dragonbite Epidemic, to be definite. This disease had awoken about three weeks ago, and already, twelve dragons had checked into the hospital with at least three of these many symptoms: fever, chills, dulling off scales, repeated vomiting, swelling of tongue, lack of breath, stomach aches, watering eyes, or suffocation. Shardpiecer paused in front of Room 151. She flexed her talons. Diseases like the Dragonbite Epidemic were the reason she had become one of the head doctors of the hospital. The doctor flipped up a page on her clipboard. It read as follows: Room 151 *''PATIENT: Melody, male'' *''TRIBE: RainWing'' *''CONDITION: Recovering well'' *''INJURY: Broken front left shin, fractured horn'' Shardpiecer blinked once, before opening the door to the room, and plastering a smile across her face. She walked into the room, where the RainWing was appearing to be dozing. Melody looked up sleepily. "Hi." Shardpiecer nodded, "Hello, Melody. Are you feeling of favourable health, today?" The RainWing gave a slightly confused looked, but nodded. "Yeah, I'm feeling fine. But my wing is all cramped." Shardpiecer flipped back to her clipboard. It stated strictly not to let the RainWing stand or sit up. The NightWing's eyes traveled back to Melody's bed. It had removable bars on the side. A thought clicked in Shardpiecer's head. The bars could be taken down for a little while—long enough for the dragon to stretch his wings. "Here," Shardpiecer said, setting down her clipboard, "which wing is it?" "My right one," Melody replied. He seemed more awake now. That pleased Shardpiecer. The NightWing made her way over to the bars on the RainWing's right, and dismantled it, leaving a gap open for the RainWing to flare out his wing. Melody smiled. "Thank you." He then proceeded to do as Shardpiecer predicted, he flared out his right wing, stretching it. His wing remained straight for some time. Eventually, he retracted it, and Shardpiecer assembled the bars. "Back to questions," she murmured to herself. As she turned, she saw the RainWing's eyes were half-lidded. It was quite apparent that he had heard nothing she had spoken. She let out a soft snort. It almost seemed like no dragon couldn't not here the phrase she had uttered. "Now, do any of your injuries excessively hurt?" she asked. The RainWing looked up to the ceiling, clearly contemplating his answer. "No." Shardpiecer nodded. "Have you had any allergic reactions to the medication we've been providing you?" Melody shook his head. Shardpiecer huffed out a breath of relief, and smiled. She sat down in a rolling chair and rolled over to the right side of the bed. She set up her stethoscope and pressed the cold, round metal device to Melody's chest. "No irregular heartbeat," she said, jotting down the information on a clean sheet of paper which recorded the checkup. After more tests, Shardpiecer pulled out a needle. Melody turned pale green. "A-am I g-getting a shot?" he stammered. She shook her head. "No, just a blood test." Melody relaxed, but his scales were still the pale green color of fear. Shardpiecer found an ideal spot for the needle to enter, and cleaned it. She then readied the needle, and with expert care, inserted it into the vein. Hardly a flinch came from the RainWing. She was impressed. After about a minute, Shardpiecer extracted the needle, and examined his blood. It looked fine from her perspective, but the dragons in the lab would know for sure once checking it. "You are recovering well," she informed Melody as she rolled her chair back over to a desk, getting prepared the leave the room. "That's a relief," Melody responded. Shardpiecer unknowingly nodded. "You will know the result of your blood test tomorrow. For know, you can get the rest you looked like you wanted," Shardpiecer said as she looked over at him, smiling a mile a minute. Melody smiled weakly. The NightWing gathered her supplies and left the room, quietly closing the door behind her. She proceeded down the hallway to the lab, where she opened the door. A SeaWing bustled over, looking at the blood sample. "Who's is this?" the SeaWing asked, plucking the tube from Shardpiecer's talons. "It's from the patient in Room 151, Melody the RainWing," she explained. The SeaWing nodded. "Well, I'll notify you tomorrow morning about the results, Dr. Shardpiecer," the SeaWing said, his gaze drifting away. He gave a playful, fake salute toward her. "See you then, Island," Shardpiecer said assertively, before exiting the room. Wanting to simply go to her office, she had the feeling that would not occur while walking down the hallway, as she saw a blob of green running toward her. Not until the dragon was within ten feet of her did Shardpiecer recognize it as a RainWing. A pale green RainWing. "You have to hurry, Dr. Shardpiecer!" the RainWing yelled, looking terrified and stressed. "It's one of the patients! They've caught the Dragonbite Epidemic!" Category:Fanfictions Category:Fanfictions (Fanon) Category:Content (Rainpool123) Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete)